


Ducks

by Lying_potato



Series: Hogwarts AU [7]
Category: Timeless Fairy Tales - K. M. Shea
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Ducks, F/M, Gabi finds it funny, Gen, The Arcainian Princes are idiots, but they make up for it sometimes, the ongoing tale of Steffen and Puss's frenemy-status
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lying_potato/pseuds/Lying_potato
Summary: Gabrielle knows better than anyone that the Arcainians can be idiots. It's still nice to get an apology though.
Relationships: Steffen/Gabi
Series: Hogwarts AU [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2169327
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Ducks

**Author's Note:**

> Current Chronological Order:
> 
> **Ducks**  
> Sorting  
> News  
> Secrets  
> Fight  
> Greenhouse  
> Room where it Happens  
> The Old Guard

* * *

“I’m sorry.”

How Steffen knew to find her by the Great Lake, Gabi doesn’t know. She continues to tear off pieces of bread to feed the ducks swimming nearby.

Taking her silence as invitation, Steffen continues. “I’m a dunce.”

“Yes.”

“And an idiot.”

“Also true.”

“And a gormless prat who puts his foot in his mouth more often than not.”

“I’m not going to disagree with you, Arcainian.”

That makes him laugh. “That’s a first. I should have done this a lot sooner.”

Now Gabi’s smiling too. Darn him. “Still not disagreeing.”

Steffen clambers over the rocks to sit beside her in the shade, letting his legs and bare feet dangle in the water. At the intrusion, the waterbirds scatter momentarily before returning, making angry duck noises. One particularly brave one swims up and pecks him, then gives a particularly indignant quack upon discovering that the pink thing is Not Food.

She chuckles. _That one would be Puss._

They sit in companionable silence for a while. It’s one of those slow, lazy days where no one particularly feels like doing anything; Gabi’s O.W.L. exams are finally over, thank Merlin, and she can see plenty of her fellow fifth years enjoying the sun. She’s surprised to see her yearmate Emerys talking with Professor Evariste before remembering that their families were old friends, funnily enough.

“Hard to believe next year’s going to be your last,” Gabi muses, a tad wistfully. “Think you’ll be Head Boy?”

“Nah. It’ll be Channing. He and the Ravenclaw girl Lisheva are a shoo-in for Head Boy and Girl after that business with the Pea this year.”

Gabi nods, remembering the Dark magic-laced artifact that had somehow gotten smuggled in. “Shame. You would have been a good one.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment from someone who fought off an ogre in her _fourth year_ with nothing more than a broken wand and a cat.”

“Oh bollocks, not you too!” she explodes. “Puss takes the mickey out of me often enough for the mistake! How was I supposed to know the cat was just a bloody _cat_ and not his Animagus form?” 

Steffen, the _git_ that he is, is already roaring with laughter and something occurs to her in the midst of her rant.

“Wait. Have you and Puss been hanging out? Without fighting?”

“We’re not ‘hanging out’! Puss- _Roland_ and I are just meeting up coincidentally.” Steffen quickly protests. “Besides, I’m a bird person. We can never be friends.”

Gabi shakes her head in amusement, scattering the last of her breadcrumbs into the water. “12 O.W.L.s and that’s the only excuse you can give? Pathetic.”

The ducks noisily quack in agreement.

**Author's Note:**

> Credits to Lemon Duck for the prompt
> 
> Comments make my day :)


End file.
